Parva 14 of 18 · 92 adhyayas
अश्वमेधिकपर्व
Book of the Horse Sacrifice
Aśvamedhika-parva
Setting: Hastinapura and the route of the sacrificial horse across Bharatavarsha
Central figure: Arjuna meeting his son in battle
Parva summary
Yudhishthira performs the Ashvamedha yajna to expiate the killings. Arjuna follows the horse across kingdoms and fights every king who challenges it. He confronts and is defeated by his own son Babhruvahana at Manipura; Ulupi revives him with the naga-mani. Krishna delivers the Anu-Gita to Arjuna — a condensed Bhagavad Gita revised in peacetime. The horse returns; the yajna concludes; a half-golden mongoose appears, declaring this great sacrifice less than the meal of a poor brahmin family that gave away their last grain. The lesson concludes the parva.
Key episodes
- ●Yudhishthira resolves on Ashvamedha
- ●Arjuna follows the horse — digvijaya in reverse
- ●Babhruvahana fells Arjuna; Ulupi revives him
- ●Krishna's Anu-Gita
- ●Completion of the yajna
- ●The half-golden mongoose lesson
Central teaching
A grand yajna may not equal a beggar's sincere gift. Atonement is measured by intent, not by spectacle.